In My Mixed Up Life
by KaT aka Mistress Shinigami
Summary: Children change our lives in the simplest ways. When Sally is forced to take custody of her young neice both her and Wufei change just a little bit for the better. *Slight Humour and Slight Romance*


A/N: A simple plot bunny that would just not leave me alone. Forgive me; I just had to get it out. ~_^ Basically pointless, I suppose. Kind of humourous, kind of cute.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I do own Jialan, though…not that it really matters, I suppose.

"In My Mixed-Up Life"

            Sally stood in shock, staring at the small two-year-old in front of her, trying desperately to assimilate what just occurred. The little girl blinked back with big brown eyes, looking as innocent as possible for a little toddler. She clutched a small stuffed panda to her chest protectively, and Sally guessed that if she hadn't been holding the bear then her thumb would have been in her mouth. Sally kneeled in front of the girl, who looked on shyly behind dark eyelashes. A small fist came up and rubbed sleepily at one eye, and the movement of her hand caused her to drop her panda. With a small cry she picked it up, hugging it to her once more. 

            "Hello, sweetheart," Sally whispered softly. The girl yawned widely. "It must be way past your bed time…let's get you to bed, okay?" The girl nodded, her silky black pigtails bouncing up and down with the movement of her head. Sally lifted the child into her arms, tucking her into the guest bed, since she didn't have a room set aside for a child. Walking back into the living room Sally sat on a couch in a daze. Just a few moments ago a woman had shown up at her door, announcing the death of Sally's sister, Qinglin. Truthfully, Qinglin had only been Sally's half-sister; they each had separate fathers. Sally's father had been American, whereas Qinglin's had been Chinese. 

            Sally never knew that Qinglin had a daughter, Jialan…nor did she realize that **she** was to be the child's guardian if anything happened to the girl's mother and father. It was all too sudden to comprehend. Heavy eyelids closed around smoky blue eyes. The Chinese woman ran a hand through her disheveled hair. What would she do tomorrow when she was expected to go to work? Should she take Jialan with her? That seemed the only plausible course of action. Perhaps Une would give her time to get settled with the child before expecting her to leave the girl with a babysitter. 

            Sally hefted a bag the woman had brought when she dropped off Jialan. It contained the girl's clothing and few belongings. She placed it by the foot of the guest bed, noticing that she was already fast asleep. With a small smile, she realized that she should be getting to bed too. Slipping into an over-sized t-shirt, Sally crawled into her own bed and was soon fast asleep, where dancing pandas and little girls singing plagued her dreams. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            The familiar monotone beep of the alarm clock woke Sally from her light sleep, and she realized with a groan that she was every bit as tired as she had been **before** she went to bed. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when she almost cried out in shock.

            Jialan was standing in the doorway of Sally's bedroom, fist curled around the hand of the panda bear. Sally willed her overworking heartbeat to slow down to a normal pace. She had forgotten about the girl who came to her house last night. Shrugging out of her covers Sally stood, stretching lithely before walking towards the child.

            "Would you like some breakfast, Jialan?" she questioned with what she hoped was a cheerful smile.

            The little girl shook her head. "I aweady eated." Sally's smile faltered. 

            Walking out into her kitchen, she was prepared for the worst. A bowl was set on the floor, and around it in about a three-foot diametre was a mixture of cheerios and milk. There was a spoon in the bowl, and when she took a second glance Sally realized that there was milk and cheerio bits stuck to Jialan's chin and cheeks as well. She sighed.

            "Next time wake me up if you want something to eat, okay?" The little girl's lip trembled.

            "I want mommy," she said with a whimper, sitting on some clean linoleum and hugging her bear fiercely to her chest. Large tears brimmed on her lower lids, ready to fall.

            Sally kneeled next to the girl. "Shh…I'm going to take care of you now, okay? I'm Sally, your—"

            "Aunty Sally?" the girl questioned, a trembling smile tugging at her lips. "Mommy talked a whole bunch 'bout youse!" The woman smiled, nodding. 

            "Yes, that's me. So why don't you go sit on the couch with your panda bear while I clean up this mess, okay?" The girl nodded once more, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. Sally heard cartoons playing and shook her head slightly. She started by cleaning up the kitchen before cleaning up the mess on Jialan's face. With that accomplished she had just enough time to get dressed and run out the door, dragging Jialan along for work. 

            She received odd looks as she led Jialan through the halls, and the girl didn't help by dragging her feet. Finally Sally just lifted her up and carried her on her way to Une's office. Standing in front of the wooden door, Sally raised her hand and knocked, resting the girl against her hip.

            "Come in," came the Preventer president's voice through the door. Sally walked in carrying Jialan, receiving a questioning glance from Lady Une.

            "Good morning, Une," Sally greeted pleasantly, hoping to get in and out quickly so Wufei wouldn't be angry at her for being late. "This is my niece, Jialan. She is going to be living with me…"

            "Uh huh…" the brunette said with a nod, her look clearing stating 'where are you going with this?'

            Sally glanced at the child who was pulling on the bottom of her tawny hair, twisting strands in her fingers. "I was wondering if it was all right if she came with me to the office for a few days while I get everything settled." Une raised a brow inquisitively. 

            "How long have you known she would be in your care?"

            "Since last night." 

Une sighed. "This had better be temporary, Water. I don't want such behavior out of you to become frequent." Une leaned back in her office chair, her fingers steepled lightly. Sally sighed, nodding her head in affirmation.

            "Yes, ma'am." Before further questions could be asked Sally turned and walked out the door, pulling Jialan's hands away from her hair. She walked down the hallway until she came to the open doorway of Wufei's office…well, it was partially her office, too. Sally could feel Wufei's eyes on her as she walked in the room, but she waited until she put Jialan down to meet his gaze. 

            "Who's the kid?" he questioned from his perch on the windowsill. Sally half-smiled.

            "What, no hello?" When he shook his head Sally shrugged.

            "She's my niece…she's going to be living with me from now on." Sally looked down at the child that hugged the back of her leg possessively. "Jialan, this is my work partner, Wufei."

            "Woofy?" the little girl questioned, peering out from behind Sally's leg. She clutched onto her panda bear still, holding tight to the stuffed toy.

            "_Wufei_," Sally corrected lightly, rubbing the girl's head affectionately. All ready she was growing to love the small child. 

            "Woofay?" 

Sally shrugged. "Close enough," she said flippantly, smiling to herself as Wufei scowled slightly at the name. His scowl was replaced with a look of surprise when Jialan walked over to him, lifting her arms in the air. The panda lay forgotten on the tiled floor.

            "Up!" she commanded in her childish giggle, waiting for Wufei to pick her up. He looked over to his partner helplessly, but the Chinese woman only grinned at him. Repressing a sigh Wufei lifted the girl into his arms, trying not to scowl as she immediately started pulling the band out of his ponytail. His silky black hair immediately fell down and brushed the top of his shoulders gently. The girl giggled at the nifty little "trick" she had just performed, but before she could put her hands in his loose hair he set her on the ground, retrieving the band that had held his hair together. Sally snickered, watching Wufei as he walked by her, muttering something about the little "brat."

            Turning to Jialan once more Sally picked up the forgotten stuffed animal on the floor. "Here Jialan; you dropped Mr. Panda." 

            The toddler pouted, yanking the bear away from her aunt. "His name ish **not** Mr. Panda," she proclaimed stoutly. "His name ish Mr. Stuffums." Sally quirked an eyebrow at this assertive statement. She chuckled at the little girl.

            "Mr. Stuffums?"

            "Yeah. Mr. Stuffums." With a shrug Sally accepted the small girl's strange imagination. She once again lowered herself to Jialan's height, tilting her head to the side lightly.

            "Wufei and I have to get some work done, okay? So can you play quietly in the corner for me?" she questioned, smiling brightly at the child to cheer her up. The small child's head bounced up and down as she nodded.

            "Oh-tay Aunty Sally. But why do youse and Woofay have ta work?" 

            "Well—um, we just have to, okay?"

            "Oh-tay." Jialan accepted the statement easily enough, plodding over to the corner with the stuffed panda—er—Mr. Stuffums. Wufei chose this moment to enter the office, hair re-tied back in his signature ponytail. He took a seat on one side of the desk, acknowledging Sally with a nod as she took the other side. 

            "Let's start with the terrorist inventory reports," he suggested, flipping through a couple of files while searching for the desired information. Sally snapped her fingers, causing her partner to look up.

            "I gave those folders to Heero awhile ago. Let me go get them," she said, standing up and making her way towards the door. She stopped when she heard Wufei's voice.

            "Sally!"

            She turned around in puzzlement. "What is it, Wufei?" He pointed to the child sitting innocently in the corner of the room, pretending to make the panda bear walk.

            "What about her?" he queried. Sally couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

            "I think you two will be fine for three minutes while I'm gone," was her teasing remark. And with that she was gone, striding purposefully out the door. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sally came to their office door fifteen minutes later, sporting a file folder and two hot cups of coffee. The sight that greeted her shocked her at first. Jialan was pouting in the corner, lower lip protruding and quivering slightly. Wufei was seated at the desk where he had been when she left. Only now he looked quite upset. No wait—make that livid. He turned his fiery gaze to her as she entered the room.

            "What happened to 'two or three minutes?'" he questioned immediately, scowl set in place. Sally ignored his remark and turned her attention to the watery-eyed child in the corner. Jialan stood up, rushing over to Sally and hugging onto her legs. The woman stroked her hair affectionately. 

            "What's wrong, sweetheart?" was her first question. Large brown eyes rose to meet her gaze.

            "Woofay took Mr. Stuffums!" she cried in anguish, pointing to where the stuffed bear sat in the middle of desk, out of reach to the small child.

            "Wufei, why did you take her panda?" Sally asked, unable to suppress a large grin. "I would have bought you your own for your birthday, you know." Ignoring the kidding remark Wufei answered her question instead:

            "I wouldn't have taken it away if she hadn't been repeatedly hitting me in the back of the head with it." 

            "I'm sorry, Aunty Sally!" she cried, clutching on to the woman's legs tightly. "B-..but I want mommy!" Sally lifted the girl into her arms, wincing slightly as the girl rubbed her nose against her shirt. Looking up, the Chinese woman saw Wufei standing in front of her, holding Mr. Stuffums outward. Instead of reaching for the bear Jialan reached for "Woofay," her cries for mommy dimming into little sniffles. Despite his scowl Wufei held the child gently in his arms.

            Sally put a hand to her head. "I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off, okay Wufei?" He nodded, and she hesitated before continuing. "Would you mind taking off, too and coming over to help me take care of her. I-…I just still need time to let everything sink in." Watching his partner strangely Wufei could only nod, smiling lightly as her face broke into an expression of gratitude. 

            "Thank you." He shook his head.

            "Don't mention it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Luckily Une had been understanding about the need to take a day off, and she had even allowed Wufei to take off as well. Although that might be due to the fact that he rarely ever took a personal day. Currently Sally was stirring a pot of macaroni and cheese while Jialan sat beside Wufei on the couch, cuddling her Mr. Stuffums. 

            "The macaroni and cheese is done!" the woman called, setting down a bowl as Jialan came barreling into the kitchen, followed by a more conservative Wufei. Following their lead Sally plopped into a chair gracelessly. "There's some more mac and cheese in that pot if you want some, Wufei."

            "Oh, you are not serious."

            "Oh, but I am." Sally said with a tired grin, leaning forward and resting her head on the table. Her tone became more serious. "I'm just too tired to make anything else, Wufei." The man shrugged resignedly, standing up to grab a bowl. Jialan giggled from her chair, picking up a noodle with her fingers and putting it in her mouth, chewing vigorously. 

            "Aren't you going to eat anything?" Was Wufei's question as he sat down once more, this time with a bowl of the dreaded macaroni and cheese. Sally shook her head in a negative, resting her chin in her hands. 

            "I'll just have a big dinner," she amended, not really hungry for lunch anyway. Her partner shrugged impassively, forcing down a spoonful of the cheesy pasta. Jialan watched the man eat, and then turned back to her own bowl of macaroni.

            "I want a 'poon!" she declared with a little scowl.

            Sally looked up. "You want a what?"

            "A spoon," Wufei answered for her, gesturing to the utensil he held. Jialan nodded vigorously in agreement.

            "Yeah, a 'poon!" 

            Sally stood up and walked into the living room, calling as she went, "You don't need a spoon, sweetheart. You can't even hold on." The child pouted, so when Sally was safely in the living room Wufei stood up and got the little girl a spoon. She grinned.

            "Tanks, Woofay."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Sally looked up from her position on the couch when Wufei and Jialan walked in from the kitchen. The girl bounded over to Sally and jumped on her lap. The woman let out a small "oof" as the child connected with her stomach. 

            "I wanna watch a movie!" Jialan stated cheerily, throwing her arms around Sally's neck. "Pease?" The Chinese woman shook her head.

            "I don't have any movies you'd want to watch," she told the child, whose smile didn't falter. 

            "I have a movie," she announced, hopping off the woman's lap and rushing into the guest bedroom. Wufei sat on a sofa tilted slightly towards the couch Sally was on. The T.V. was on small entertainment center. A DVD player rested on a shelf underneath the television. Jialan bounded into the room clutching the case of a DVD. She held it out to Sally, looking pointedly at the television. Sally turned on the movie for her; it was some child cartoon movie. 

            Once the movie started, Sally's head began to nod dangerously. Before long she had her head resting against the armrest and she was sleeping lightly. Jialan looked up from her position on her lap, pouting as she realized her aunt was fast asleep. Wufei was meditating on the other sofa, so Jialan stood up and bounded over to him, plopping into his lap. He cracked an eye open, not really surprised by her sudden movement. She curled up in a ball, eyes closing as she too drifted off…not really watching any of the movie. Wufei couldn't help but sigh, looking back and forth between the two people sleeping. He did notice—with a smile—that each of them made soft noises in their sleep. He turned off the movie with a remote, standing and laying Jialan back on the couch. He pulled a blanket off a chair, draping that over her lower body. Impulsively he leaned over and kissed the child on the temple, handing her Mr. Stuffums, the bear he picked off the floor.

            The Chinese man walked over to his partner next, moving her legs so she was lying down on the couch rather than sitting up awkwardly. She let out a sigh at the movement but didn't wake up. He pulled another blanket over her, and before he could stop himself he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, watching as she shifted slightly, but once again stayed sleeping. He backed away from her slowly, sitting down on a chair across from the two couches. He simply sat in contentment as the two girls slept, each with a slight smile on her face.

The End

Pointless? Yeah, basically. Comments, anyone?  


End file.
